Tonkotsu ramen with chashu pork and marinated egg

Ingredients

Broth (the long part)

• 2 kg pork bones (a mix of trotters and ribs — trotters give the gelatin)
• 1 small piece pork back fat (optional, for extra richness)
• 4 garlic cloves, smashed
• 1 thumb fresh ginger, sliced
• 4 spring onions, whites only, halved
• 1 onion, halved and charred (optional, for sweetness)
• 2 tbsp soy sauce
• 2 tbsp mirin
• 1 tbsp sesame oil
• Cold water to cover

Chashu pork (rolled belly)

• 600 g pork belly, skin off, rolled and tied
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 100 ml mirin
• 50 ml sake (or dry white wine)
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 4 spring onions
• 3 garlic cloves, smashed

Marinated soft-boiled eggs (ajitsuke tamago)

• 4 large eggs, straight from the fridge
• 100 ml soy sauce
• 100 ml mirin
• 2 tbsp sugar
• 100 ml water

To serve

• 4 portions fresh ramen noodles (about 120 g dried per portion if fresh unavailable)
• 4 sheets nori
• 1 small tin bamboo shoots (menma), drained
• 2 spring onions, finely sliced
• 1 tsp sesame oil per bowl
• 1 soft-boiled egg per bowl

Method

1. Parboil the bones. Put the pork bones in a large stockpot, cover with cold water, bring to a hard boil and cook for 5 minutes. This draws out the blood and impurities — the most skipped step, and the reason most home broths taste muddy. Drain and rinse the bones thoroughly under cold running water. Rinse the pot too.
2. Refill and start the long simmer. Return the bones to the clean pot, add the pork fat, garlic, ginger, spring onion whites and charred onion if using. Cover with cold water again. Bring to a vigorous, rolling boil — not a gentle simmer. The agitation is what emulsifies the fat into the broth and makes it milky.
3. Maintain the boil for 8–12 hours. Top up with boiling water as needed to keep the bones submerged. Stir every hour or so if you can. Skim any grey foam that rises in the first hour — after that the broth should be a steady creamy white. Don’t reduce the heat; the rolling boil is the whole point.
4. Finish the broth. After 8 hours minimum (12 is better), strain through a fine sieve into a clean pan. Discard the bones and aromatics. Whisk in the soy sauce, mirin and sesame oil. Taste — it should be savoury, rich and slightly creamy. Keep on a low simmer until ready to serve.
5. Chashu pork. While the broth simmers, combine soy, mirin, sake, sugar, spring onions and garlic in a small pan. Add the rolled pork belly, bring to a simmer, cover and cook on low for 90 minutes, turning every 20 minutes. Remove, cool, then refrigerate in the liquid. Slice into 1 cm rounds when ready to serve.
6. Marinated eggs. Whisk soy, mirin, sugar and water in a container. Boil the eggs from cold for exactly 6 minutes 30 seconds, then plunge into iced water. Peel carefully (older eggs peel easier). Submerge in the marinade for at least 4 hours, ideally overnight.
7. Cook the noodles. Bring a large pot of unsalted water to a hard boil. Cook the fresh noodles for 2 minutes (or follow the packet for dried) — they should be just done with a slight bite. Drain and divide between 4 bowls.
8. Assemble. Pour hot broth over the noodles. Top each bowl with 3–4 slices of chashu, half a marinated egg, a sheet of nori, a few bamboo shoots, a scatter of spring onions and a small drizzle of sesame oil. Serve immediately.

Tips

• Parboiling and rinsing the bones is the most important step — skip it and your broth will be cloudy, grey and muddy. Do it.
• The broth must keep at a rolling boil, not a gentle simmer. The mechanical agitation is what emulsifies the fat and creates that signature creamy white colour and silky mouthfeel.
• 8 hours is acceptable, 12 is better. An overnight simmer on low heat while you sleep is the easiest way to fit this into a weekend.
• Fresh noodles make a real difference — most Asian supermarkets sell them refrigerated. If you must use dried, undercook them slightly since they finish in the hot broth.
• A pressure cooker cuts the broth time to about 4–5 hours, but the texture is slightly different. The traditional long-simmer method is worth it once.